Cadillac has become the latest manufacturer to confirm an LMDh programme, aiming to compete in both the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship.
Rumours of a GM presence in the new top tier of global sportscar racing had been swirling for a while, but the manufacturer finally confirmed on Tuesday that it will join the likes of Audi, Porsche, BMW and Acura in the new top prototype rank.
“For nearly 20 years, Cadillac V-Series has brought winning technologies from the racetrack to our performance cars on the road,” said Rory Harvey, global vice president, Cadillac. “We look forward to continuing that heritage by competing in this exciting new chapter at the highest level of international motorsport.”
The car, named the Cadillac LMDh-V.R, is currently under development and is a partnership between GM Design and Italian manufacturer Dallara, similarly to the existing car competing in the DPi category.
Two partner teams have been named for the programme, which will debut at the 2023 Rolex at Daytona.
Chip Ganassi Racing and Action Express Racing, which have both won races with Cadillac in the current IMSA campaign, have been selected.
“We are looking forward to the new international prototype formula and running the Cadillac LMDh,” said Chip Ganassi. “We have had a great relationship across three different racing disciplines with GM and we are looking forward to developing the car with Cadillac and Dallara over the next year-and-a-half.”
Gary Nelson, AXR team manager, added: “The IMSA LMDh category is looking to be very competitive with multiple manufacturers.”
“We’ve had a lot of success running the Cadillac DPi-V.R as one of the original teams since 2017, and we are looking forward to being a part of the next chapter of Cadillac Racing.”
The announcement leaves the way clear for Cadillac to return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time in over two decades.
It last competed at Le Mans from 2000 to 2002 with the ill-fated Northstar LMP programme.
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